I read with interest about the Church's environment commission and its stand on waste incineration: "As long as the impact of this technology (waste incineration) was not negative to health and the environment, this alternative made sense..."

The Commission, however, expects strong opposition from the people, because "they had lost confidence in the accountability of the operators of such plants".

I was one of the foremost advocates of waste separation in Germany, but after discussing the subject with politicians and technicians this summer, I had to change my mind.

Allow me to share the latest information on waste management strategies in other EU countries. After separating domestic waste for over 20 years, Germany is in the process of phasing out this strategy for three reasons:

1) It does not make financial sense - corruption (The Green Dot case, where waste ended up in Africa and elsewhere instead of being recycled), the cost of collection and recycling,

2) Recycling uses up three times as much energy as 'conservative' production, and food containers need to be cleaned by consumers before depositing them, using huge amounts of water.

3) It is not supported by the consumer. Although the consumer pays for the 'Green Dot' heavily, and the Germans are considered to be disciplined, they do not separate waste thoroughly enough for the recycling plants to work efficiently.

Instead, all domestic waste will be incinerated. Waste incineration plants have been operating in Germany for a long time now. To protect the environment, the law provides that they have to be upgraded as soon as there is a development in filtering technology or other related technology. Because of this, incineration plants are more environment-friendly than most industrial plants. I am pretty sure this includes the Marsa power plant.

The incineration plant at Stapelfeld in northern Germany treats 350,000 tons of domestic waste annually and reduces the volume by 90 per cent. In the process, the plant produces enough electricity for 70,000 households, enough warm water to heat over 1,000 households and an indoor swimming pool and greenhouses for 65,000 roses.

The 10 per cent of the remaining volume is treated and used for road construction.

Instead of introducing a concept which has proved to be inefficient in a country known for its discipline, Malta should seriously consider incinerating domestic waste and, in the process, get rid of landfills and protect the environment by incinerating the waste already dumped, save hard-earned money instead of upgrading the power plants by producing electricity with a cost-free source of energy, and be less dependent on oil, which is becoming increasingly expensive. 

Since an incineration plant like the one in Stapelfeld is profitable, it should not be a problem to find investors. It leaves us with the question of where to put it. I live in Xemxija, enjoying the sweet smell of Maghtab. Believe me, I would rather have an incineration plant without the smell and taking up less space than a landfill. Inhabitants of Marsascala please note: the waste management plant at Sant'Antnin could be avoided as well.

For technical details and more information contact info@bkb-stapelfeld.de or Mr Gero Storjohann, MP, Platz der Republik 1, 11011, Berlin.